Winter
by Blue Letters
Summary: Steven never knew what a brat his successor would turn out to be. But then again, that was part of her charm. HoennChampionShipping.


"W-why is it so cold today?" A young brunette girl no older than sixteen chattered out.

"It's the middle of December, May, what do you expect? Hot, sunny weather with a hundred percent chance of sunburn?" A smooth masculine voice replied.

May let out a small snort at his attempted joke as she walked over to one of the few trees that weren't covered in show and sat down, her back against the cold, rough bark.

"That... would be preferable to this... this... this freezer experience! Even the desert has snow! It's wrong on so many levels." She complained.

Steven stared at the teen, whose cheeks and nose were flushed from the cold, and getting redder by the second. His gaze soaked in the rest of her appearance and he sighed, running a glove-clad hand through his spiky silver tresses.

"Perhapse if your attire was more suitable for this season, you wouldn't be so cold." He smartly pointed out, earning a glare colder than the snow surrounding them.

"Don't nag, it makes you look even older." She noticed his eye twitch and smirked. But that was his punishment for bashing her choice of clothing, no matter correct he was.

Throughout their whole little verbal exchange, their eyes never left one anothers, in a silent challenge between the two.

"You know that I hate it when you point out my age. It's rather rude. I'm only twenty-four, you immature _brat_." He stressed the last word, and mentally smirked as her jaw fell agape.

She hastily stood up, still never breaking eye contact.

"Well you act like you're eighty. And I, Mister Stone, utterly detest being called juvenile names. "

"Is that why you're using 'big girl' words, little May-chan?" He teased as May's face flushed an even darker scarlet colour than her red Poké bandanna.

"Close your eyes." The sixteen year old ordered.

May hastily scooped up a handful of the snow that covered the entire city of Lilycove and on Route 21, where they were currently resting.

The young Champion hurled the snow ball at her predecessor, hitting him directly between the eyes, coating his face and hair with the chilly slush.

Steven flinched as the cold ball of snow smacked into his face. He should've known she would do something like that, but what would the point of being friends with a kid if she didn't pull the pranks and jokes that she did?

He wiped off most of the snow and blinked the rest from his eyes. He looked around until his gray-blue orbs settled on the devil herself; she had skillessly hidden behind the same tree she was sitting near just a few minutes prior.

Another snowball flew towards the elder trainer, hitting him square in the chest.

"My-oh-my," she drawled,"is it me, or does it seem like your age is catching up to you. Try not to break a hip, gramps!" Ducking behind her tree, May hurled another, much larger snowball at him, expecting him to not duck. He easily evaded it and the snowball flew past him and into a white fence along the path.

He bent down and grabbed a couple large handfuls of snow, tightly packing it together. He glanced back up at May, whose eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Well May, dearie, I'll promise not to break a hip if you pinky promise not to start crying like a baby." He flung the snowball at the young Pokémon trainer who tried to hide behind her tree, but was a second too late in her evasion and the snowball smacked across her chest and neck, spreading across her collar bones and into her shirt.

"Gah! It's so cold!" Screeched May, as she hastily jumped around, trying to shake the snow out of her shirt. "This is war!" She grabbed one of her snowballs, ignoring the snow that was swishing around in her shirt(some falling into her bra), and threw it at her opponent, hence starting an hour-long snowball war.

**oOo**

Stares were directed at the two trainers by nearly everyone they passed while they walked through the city of Lilycove.

But who could blame them? The current and former Pokémon League Champions stroll into town soaked to the bone and covered in snow, what else is there to do _but _stare? And take photos, that is, since several flashes erupted from a crowd of grinning fan-girls wielding digital cameras.

They must have been from Steven's fan club, the poor man.

Others were from May's male populace of fans, who for reasons unknown to her, were, while staring at her and taking pictures, spontaniously sprouting blood from their noses. Was there some type of fight earlier? Or some kind of nose-bleed plague going around?

May's right eye twitched as more women and men joined the crowds, and the other eye joined in when some guy whistled at her. He must have been mocking her because she was chilled to the bone or something!

Cold and wet, the girl raised her fist, about to walk up to the guy when a firm hand clasped around her wrist. She turned aroung to see Steven, staring at her with those beautiful eyes of his, shake his head.

She let out an unladylike grunt and turned her gaze away from his, as their staring contest had ended when their snowball fight had begun.

"I wouldn't have hurt him." She muttered, but added, "Much." Her lips forming into a grin, fantasizing about how she would have waltzed up to the rude man and punched his lights out, breaking his nose and giving him a nice purple shiner. Ah, how she wished she could have actually done so, as she was stopped by the fair Lady Steven and also had never gotten into an actual HumanVsHuman street brawl.

The two ignored the many murmurs, whispers, odd stares and camera flashes from the people they walked past.

As they neared the Pokémon center, for some reason he felt a tug on his hand. He glanced at it, and noticed May's hand was still clasped within his larger one. And oddly enough, his cheeks were beginning to warm up... must have been because of the ocean breeze or something of the sort... he immediately released her hand.

May shivered slightly and Steven felt a twinge of what he felt was likely guilt bloom in his chest, knowing he should have went a bit easier on her instead of soaking her as thoroughly as she did to him.

"Hey Steven. C'mon, unless you wanna miss something awesome." May said several feet away, snapping him out of his thoughts. She was going into the opposite direction of the Pokémon center, much to his displeasure.

"Um... May, where are you dragging me this time?" The young woman in front of him simply turned her head towards him, wearing a cute smile across her face. Wait... when had he ever referred to her as cute? Perhaps it was because she was younger and he supposed her childish antics were a bit cute... in an immature sort of way, he added.

"It's a secret you'll discover only when we get there." She replied quietly, a smile evident in her tone. He shuddered, from the cold, and continued walking to wherever her destination was, following obediently like a lost Vulpix.

**oOo**

"Here we are~!" May exclaimed merrily as she opened up an old door on an even older looking building and strolled inside, and as he followed a much welcomed gust of warm air brushed against him.

Despite the shabby outer appearance, the interior was quite fancy, with a sort of classic look to it that would've likely been considered something regular in his fathers time.

May cheerfully walked over to the counter where she rung a small silver tap-bell. After the second ding, a waitress in a lacy sky-blue and white outfit appeared from behind a door, likely leading to a kitchen.

May beckoned the waitress closer and whispered something he couldn't hear into her ear. The waitress' mouth warped into a catty grin as whispered something back and May's cheeks turned a bright beet red, then she whispered something back.

The waitress grinned, light shining off the thick lens of her glasses' lens in a way that made him want to think twice about her otherwise "innocent" appearance. The waitress quickly set down two menus before rushing back to the room she came from.

"What was that about?" He questioned his friend, genuinely curious of what she had whispered to the waitress.

"Ehe, oh it was nothing you need to know about. I was just ordering breakfast." May waved his comment off.

Ignoring the menu placed before him, the silver-haired trainer shook his head and pulled out a small but thick book from one of his pockets. He was pleased and quite surprised to find it to not be thoroughly soaked.

That girl; no one ever knew hat was going through that thick head of hers.

May glanced over at Steven and let her lips form into a small, secretive smile. After a few seconds, May realised she was smiling.

A small blush lit her cheeks afire and she dearly hoped he hadn't noticed she was smiling at him or how she was blushing like a love-struck fool.

He had noticed, but he would be damned if he'd let her know. Not now, at least. Perhaps in the future it would be good for black mailing. He could question her on why she was smiling like a creeper while staring at his book. He couldn't wait to see her expression, which would be of utter horror.

When May turned her attention to her menu, he allowed a small smile to grace his own lips.

He hadn't glimpsed a smile like that in a while. He missed her smiles, the genuine ones, not the fake ones she showed in public.

She had changed so much from the innocent, always smiling little girl he had met two years ago.

The waitress, after her thirty second absence, returned with two tall glasses filled to the brim with a steamy, light brown liquid. The waitress quickly set down the drinks; one in front of each.

"May, I thought you said you ordered breakfast? What is this?" He pointed to the glass.

She laughed at his ignorance to one of the best drinks ever invented, in her opinion.

"Steven, my friend, you have GOT to get out more. How could you not know what this is? It's hot chocolate made with actual Moo-Moo milk!"

May took a long sip from her glass, relishing the feeling of the hot drink warming her up from the inside out.

Steven stared at the glass as if it were about to suddenly jump out and attack him. But really, he wondered if May had requested that the waitress spike it or something. It... wouldn't surprise him a bit.

"It's not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking." May grumbled.

He let out a small sigh before raking a hand through his hair. He looked at the drink before picking up the glass and took a sip.

And to put it simply, it was the best damn thing he'd ever tasted.

"So, May," his lips tipped upward as he sipped, "why were you staring at me like a creeper only a few moments ago?"

May spit out her Coa-Coa-Moo, choking.

"W-what?"

He burst out laughing at her quizical expression. He would never forget today.

**oOo**

**So ****how ****was ****it****? ****Good****, ****Bad****, ****needs ****much ****improvement****? ****I****'****m ****pretty ****iffy ****and ****unsatisfied ****with ****this****. ****I ****feel ****it ****could ****be ****vastly ****improved****(****like ****my ****word ****use****). ****I ****called ****it ****Winter ****because ****it ****takes ****place ****in ****winter****, ****and ****I ****hadn****'****t ****the ****slightest ****idea ****what ****to ****call ****it ****otherwise****. ****This ****is ****pathetic ****in ****length****, ****though****.**

**But ****that****'****s ****why ****I ****write****: ****to ****improve ****my ****skills****(****or ****rather****, ****lack ****of****) ****in ****writing****. ****But ****I ****won't ****lie****; ****I ****do ****love ****reviews****.**

**Also****, ****I ****have ****started ****on ****the ****sequel ****to ****Ray ****of ****Light****, ****Glimmer ****of ****Darkness****.**

**GO ****Hoenn Champion Shipping****!**


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